ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES OF THE COBALT-RICH FERROMANGANESE CRUSTS ON RUSSIAN EXPLORATION AREA

Transcription

1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES OF THE COBALT-RICH FERROMANGANESE CRUSTS ON RUSSIAN EXPLORATION AREA Qingdao, China, 2018

2 Exploration region 1. Layout of the blocks of Russian exploration area 2. Seamount contour 2

3 RV GELENDZHIK Deep-sea camera Scientific ship using for seamount exploration (5600 tons, 110 m long) Boxcorer Probing system with Rosetta Stone drag 3

4 GOVOROV SEAMOUNT 'E 18 15'N 'E 'E 'E Sh-trawl 'E 'E 'E 'E 'E 18 15'N CTD_ 'N 18 10'N Sh-trawl-01 Sh-trawl-02 Grab_ 'N 'N Grab_ 'N 'N 'N 17 40'N CTD_ 'N CTD_ 'N 17 25'N 'E 'E 'E 'E 17 25'N 'E 'E 'E 'E 'E Layout of photo transect, CTD and samplers 4

5 Taxon Position Number Feeding type Anthozoa Coral polyps (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa) 948 Seston feeder In that number Alcyonacea Soft corals (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Alcyonacea) 694 Seston feeder Actiniaria Actinians (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Actiniaria) 179 Seston feeder Antipatharia Black corals (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Antipatharia) 49 Seston feeder Megafauna animals on Govorov seamount (44 phototransects) (17200 bottom photo) Pennatulacea Sea pens (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Pennetulacea) 20 Seston feeder Zoantharia Zoantharians (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Zoantharia) 5 Seston feeder Ceriantharia Ceriantharians (Type Cnidaria, Class Anthozoa, Order Ceriantharia) 1 Seston feeder Hexactinellida Glass spoges (Type Porifera, Class Hexactinellida) 740 Seston feeder Decapoda Decapods (Type Arthropoda, Class Malacostraca, Order Decapoda) 591 Carnivores Ophiuroidea Ophiuroids (Type Echinodermata, Class Ophiuroidea) 421 Deposite feeder Holothuroidea Holothuroids (Type Echinodermata, Class Holothuroidea) 286 Deposite feeder Crinoidea Sea flowers (Type Echinodermata, Class Crinoidea) 234 Seston feeder Actinopterygii Fishes (Type Chordata, Class Actinopterygii) 217 Carnivores Asteroidea Sea stars (Type Echinodermata, Class Asteroidea) 112 Deposite feeder Echinoidea Sea urchins (Type Echinodermata, Class Echinoidea) 54 Deposite feeder Scyphozoa Jelly fishes (Type Cnidaria, Class Scyphozoa) 30 Seston feeder Xenophyophoroidea Xenophyophorians (Type Foraminifera, Class Monothalamea, Suprafamily 16 Seston feeder Xenophyophoroidea) Gastropoda Gastropods (Type Mollusca, Class Gastropoda) 14 Deposite feeder Scalpellidae Barnacles (Type Arthropoda, Class Cirripedia, Order Scalpelliformes, Family Scalpellidae) 10 Seston feeder Ascidiacea Ascidians (Type Chordata, Class Ascidiacea) 8 Seston feeder Enteropneusta Acorn worms (Type Hemichordata, Class Enteropneusta) 7 Deposite feeder Pantopoda Sea spiders (Type Arthropoda, Class Pycnogonida, Order Pantopoda) 5 Deposite feeder Polychaeta Polychaetes (Type Annelida, Class Polychaeta) 4 Deposite feeder Octopoda Octopods (Type Mollusca, Class Cephalopoda, Order Octopoda) 3 Carnivores Hydrozoa Hydroids (Type Cnidaria, Class Hydrozoa) 1 Seston feeder 5

6 Environment factors influencing on megafauna composition, density and distribution 1. Depth 2. Characteristics of bottom deposition 3. Layout on the seamount 6

7 Depth Distribution by depth for seston feeders Primnoid corall Most part of seston feeders inhabit zone up to 2500 m Glass sponges 7

8 Depth Distribution by depth for deposite feeders group of elasipodid holothuroids Only most part of ophiuroids inhabit zone up to 2000 m Distributions for others deposite feeders are more or less even Elasipodid holothuroid 8

9 Depth Distribution by depth for carnivorous animals Decapod crustation Numbers of carnivorous animals decline with depth gradually deep-sea eel 9

10 Bottom deposition - sediment Animal groups more abundant on sediment zone Decapod crustation Fishes and sea urchins prefer bottom with clear sediment echinothurid sea urchin J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA 10

11 Bottom deposition - crusts Animal groups more abundant on bottom with hard substrate Glass sponges Corals, glass sponges and sea flowers prefer bottom with hard subsrat Soft coral 11

12 Differences between numbers of the main megafauna groups on seamounts Hexactinellida Alcyonacea 12

13 Animals collected in bottom trawl Soft coral Soft coral, sea flowers, glass sponges, ophiuroids Fragments of glass sponges and corals Fragments of glass sponges and sea star J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA 13

14 Sediment on the top of seamount consists mostly from calcareous foram shells and their fragments. Soft clay and silt practically are absent. J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA 14

15 Macrofauna animals collected in sediment samples Polychaeta Isopoda Bivalvia Gastropoda Isopoda Isopoda Ophiuroidea Priapulida Scaphopoda Sipunculida Amphipoda J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA Aplacophora 15

16 Meiofauna animals collected in sediment samples Foraminifera Hrpacticoida Foraminifera Harpacticoida Halacaridae Nematoda Ostracoda Ostracoda J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA 16

17 Conclusions 1. Seamounts are places on the ocean bottom with diverse and unique benthic communities 2. Photo transecting is a main source of information about background characteristics of megafauna 3. It is very difficult to get undisturbed sediment samples for macrofauna and meiofauna background characteristic 4. It is necessary to modify the document ISBA/19/LTC/8 (Recommendations for the guidance of contractors for the assessment of the possible environmental impacts arising from exploration for marine minerals in the Area) with a glance of the new ecological data derived on seamounts 5. Regional Environment Management Plan for the Cobalt-Rich Ferromanganese Crusts is a good proposal and is needed a further detailed examinations J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA 17

18 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION J-S C YUZHMORGEOLOGIA 18